Tuesday, April 5, 2016

TGIT

Shonda Rhimes is a woman of many talents. Among these talents are television producing
and writing. Rhimes is the executive
producer, head writer, and creator of the popular ABC show, Grey’s Anatomy which has entered its 12th
season. The popularity of Grey’s Anatomy prompted Rhimes to create
a spin off, Private Practice. Rhimes also created, wrote, and produced
the “political thriller,” Scandal (1). She is also the executive producer for Off the Map, How to Get Away with Murder, and The Catch (1). Rhimes also
had a hand in various movies, such as Princess
Diaries 2. Of the many shows Rhimes
has had a part in, three of them (Grey’s
Anatomy, Private Practice, Off the Map) were medical dramas.

Rhimes’s interest in medical dramas stemmed from her high
school years volunteering as a candy striper in a hospital in Chicago Heights
for years. In an interview, she
explains, “I definitely think [volunteering] affected my view of
hospitals. Not in the sense of gorgeous
interns racing around having sexual relations, but my comfort level with
medical environments…” (2). Rhimes was
able to create a somewhat realistic medical drama because she was able to
relate back to her time spent in the medical setting.

Aside from the engrossing medical drama, Rhimes also
attributes the success of her shows by making them something she would like to
watch; if she does not want to watch it, she excludes it from the show
(2). Rhimes also emphasizes the
importance of her characters. She gives
them interesting personal stories with a slight emphasis on romance. She emphasizes the romance in her shows
because she believes “we all want that fantasy” (2). Rhimes is also conscious to ensure that her
characters “don’t speak in TV speak” (2).
She tries to create her characters and put them in situations that are
as realistic as possible.

Rhimes is definitely not a one-time creative. She has created successful show after
successful show and does not show any signs of slowing down. This is extremely impressive considering ABC
has dedicated its Thursday night time slots to Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder, which means these shows are all in
production simultaneously. Collins and
Amabile believe that “creativity is motivated by the enjoyment and satisfaction
that a person derives from engaging in the creative activity” (3). I think this statement aligns well with
Shonda Rhimes’s motivation for her TV shows, specifically. Rhimes admits to thinking that she wanted to
be a doctor, an attorney, or a psychiatrist, but in reality she just wanted to
write about these jobs, not do them (2).